Hunter's Pride
by Amirrel
Summary: The life story of a blind hunter. His quest is to overcome his handicap and prove himself quite capable with or without vision. He picks up some of the strangest companions to join him as he travels through Rune-Midgard, making a name for themselves.
1. Gift of Sight

Hunter's Pride

Words in _italic_ are thoughts.

Chapter 1: The Gift of Vision

--

Somewhere within the Payon forests, a small figure struggled about the forest path. The woman's bloated stomach evidence of her plight. Each step of the way, she could not help glancing back, wary of the creatures hiding in the dense greenery.

A bigfoot growled at her in warning, clutching its jar of honey protectively. The woman ignored it and continued to hobble through the woods, clutching her stomach just as protectively.

The gates of Payon were just beyond these woods…

"Halt!" a guard calls. But his partner laid a hand on his shoulder, indicating the woman's prominent distress. Also noting the crest on her bow, they quickly hurried to her aid. Two fresh guards took their places at the gates.

In the healer's cottage, the woman's cries echoed through the district.

The old healer ordered the available guards through a series of tasks, "Be quick, but stay out!"

--

Several hours has passed, a healthy, wailing baby boy lay in his mother's cradling arms. She kissed the newborn's forehead, blessing him in loving prayers. Just then, the healer came in with a bowl of herbal tea.

The elder helped the young mother drink the tea. The drink's healing effects took hold immediately, sending the woman into a comfortable rest.

The old woman was just about to leave when she noticed the baby's eyes were open. She set the bowl down and peered closely at the child's eyes…

"Oh my…"

The baby was asleep but his eyes were open, yet his pupils were nonexistent within his white irises.

--

A day later, the child becomes orphaned as his mother passed away, leaving behind her bow and crest. The old woman took him in and raised the child like her own, feeding and teaching him everything she knows of her profession.

Years flew by and soon, the boy was finally old enough to choose the starting path of a profession. The old healer told the boy, Keen, as his mother had named him, to take a walk before deciding.

"Choose wisely, dear child, and work hard in that field. Whatever you choose to take, your mother would surely be proud of you."

Keen decided he would stroll through the forest he grew so fond of, careful to avoid the areas where he knew the stronger monsters dwell. He travelled his path relying on memory and habit. the old woman had brought him through this forest countless times to help her gather herbs for medicine.

As he sat down on a tree stump to ponder on the many professions available to him he began to wonder if he ever could take on a profession due to his disadvantage.

He could try for priesthood in the Prontera Church, they could teach him their ways with the ear and spirit. That could work.

Maybe he could try for bardic profession, he discovered that he found great enjoyment in music after he heard the local performers play their traditional tunes. But to be a bard, he must first be an archer, and that won't be easy…

Before he could ponder any further, a low growling could be heard from behind him. Keen stiffened at the sound, it didn't sound like any bigfoot's growling. Soon, he could hear several other bigfoots growling in unison.

_What is an Eddga doing here? I'm at least 2 charts away from its territory…I think…_

As the powerful creature hulked its way towards the child, Keen thought he heard a twig snap behind him. _Oh this is not my day, I'm surrounded._

But he thought he heard a sound of stressed wood and a string being drawn back. Next thing he heard was the agonizing cries of the Eddga. _Wha—_

A gloved hand patted him on the shoulder, how Keen wished he could see.

"Are you alright, boy?" A male voice questioned. The child simply nodded. He backed up into the hand when he heard the monster pick itself up from the ground and summon more bears to its side. The hand on his shoulder squeezed reassuringly.

"Watch." The hunter commanded, as if everything he says will be. Keen could hear the man's bow being stressed again.

_Oh how I wish I could see, in any way I can. I want to see! _Keen wished with all his will behind it.

The arrow was released, and Keen saw it strike the Eddga straight through the head. All his bigfoot minions evaporated, and the hunter turned back to smile at Keen.

The hunter was still quite young, it was clear that he had great power. His wavy brown hair flew in his eyes as a timely wind blew into the forest, taking the Eddga's soul with it. In his hand he held a bow that looked vaguely familiar. But embroidered into his collar was a crest symbol that Keen could recognize anywhere within the entire Rune-Migard kingdom once it touches the tips of his fingers. His mother's bow bore the exact same details…

"See?" the hunter said, bringing Keen out of his stupor, "You can see after all…"

After that, Keen's vision disappeared and his knees met the forest floor. His head met something solid as well…

--End of chapter 1--

_Read and review please! They are the key ingredients for plot bunnies! Thankies! D_


	2. A Decision Made

Hunter's Pride

Words in _italic _are thoughts.

Chapter 2: A Decision Made

--

Keen stirred from his slumber. His head felt like it was being hammered upon and his eyes stung as if he had slept all night with them wide open.

He chuckled at the idiocy, not like he would be able to tell. The only "eye" part he could feel and control were his _eye_lids.

_More importantly, where am I…what happened to the Eddga…? _Keen suddenly felt quite uncomfortable in his new surroundings.

"I see you are awake." A vaguely familiar voice spoke. Keen rolled his head to the side, trying to appear polite to whoever it was that saved him from the Eddga.

"Who are you?" Keen's first question.

"Someone you need not concern yourself with." Came the reply.

"…thank you, for earlier…" Keen's throat felt hoarse.

"You're welcome. Here, drink this." The sniper took Keen's hand and gently led it to grasp a bowl of warm liquid.

"Thank you…" Keen drank slowly, savouring the soothing flavor of chrysanthemum tea. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me see."

A pause… Keen continued to sip the heavenly brew. _How long have I been unconscious? I shouldn't stay too long or else my guardian will get older than she already is worrying about me…_

"I didn't do anything, I simply made you overcome your hopelessness." Keen could sense the older boy grin.

"Thanks, it was wonderful." Keen took another sip, "Will I be able to see again?"

"What are you talking about? You can see, even now. You just don't try hard enough." The young sniper leaned back against the floor. His lilac falcon gracefully perched herself on a stand. "What you saw, wasn't through your eyes."

"It was through…?"

"You mind's eyes."

Keen gave him a questioning frown. His host laughed.

"Let me see… Your other four sense, with practice and a bit of your willpower, could allow you to 'see' better than anyone with normal vision." He ran a hand through his brown locks, "Sigh, I only know about a handful of people who can do this. Most people would call it some kind of 'sixth sense', but we call it the True Falcon Eyes."

Keen lifted his head at the name. "Do you have it?" he asked, almost timidly.

"No, I don't have it. You could say I have no use for it, because I'm happy with what I already have. If I'm unsatisfied, I work hard until I'm thoroughly satisfied."

"For a second there I thought you were…the same as me."

The sniper quirked an eyebrow. "Well, let's get on to what you were doing in the forest."

"Well, as you can see by my garb, I'm a novice about to choose what my guardian calls, 'The Path'." Keen tugged on his cotton shirt unappreciatively.

"You're lucky. Not many who come from Payon are able to even start Novicehood. Why aren't you a farmer yet?" that was just a mock, but Keen looked rather sorrowful for some reason. "Hey, what's the matter, you can tell out a joke without even looking at it, can't you?"

"No, it's not that." Keen almost sighed, he didn't know if it was right to discuss this with a total stranger (he didn't even know his name). _But he bears the same crest as my mother's…_

"Do…you want to tell me about it?" the sniper ventured.

Keen bit his bottom lip, but came to a decision. "I wish to know where," Keen's small hand suddenly lashed out like lightning and grasped the sniper's collar, taking him by surprise, "you got this."

A long pause issued. The brown-haired man's gaze seemed to be locked with the whites of Keen's eyes. For the longest time he could ever imagine, those wells of ghostly white felt like it could penetrate into the windows of his soul.

"Have you seen anyone besides me wear this?"

"My mother had this crest."

"Oh…" the sniper picked at the gold embroidery, "It's not my place to tell you everything, or anything at all, but…" he locked his gaze with Keen's clear white orbs, "I'll tell you that you have to start with the path of an archer."

Keen stiffened. That path is particularly difficult for him in these circumstances…but…

"I've made my choice." He declared.

"Are you seriously considering this?"

"Yes." Keen finished the last of his tea and gave the cup back to the stranger. He felt quite at ease with him, "Hopefully, in a few years, we'll meet again?" his voice really did hold some hope in them.

The sniper smiled and ruffled the kid's hair. "You got it…Keen." He said suddenly with much affection.

"How did you know my…" Keen didn't manage to finish his sentence when the lightly drugged tea sent him back onto the bed…

To be continued…

Sorry Chapter 2 took some time to come out… I'm writing and improvising this right out of my head…hehe… One of the few works that I've made without much of a "beforehand" plot. Well, I hope Chapter 3 would come out soon! Enjoy!


	3. Easy Targets

A/N: I don't know why, but I like disadvantaged warriors like blind archers or one-armed knights O_o…and I also like old masters like Gandalf from Lord of The Rings! Pwnage!

Hunter's Pride

Chapter 3

It only took three…months…nothing to it, right? Most archers would be snipers by now, Keen would've been one too but noooo, the Guildsman in charge wanted Keen to pick an unusual amount of 60 points worth of trunks.

Three months of hard work, cuts and scratches everywhere, a bruise on his rump from the time the fifteenth willow smacked him into a rock.

…Ouch.

Nevertheless, Keen's determination did not wear out and he happily walked out of the archer village equipped with his own bow, two quivers of arrows and donned his archer's scarf with an air of satisfaction.

But he can't stop now, there was much to catch up on, namely how to shoot the bow in the first place…Keen felt his bow up and down and took a whole day to figure out how to hold the bow and shoot. He took another three weeks to lodge an arrow into the trunk of a random nearby oak. What he didn't know was that it was another willow…

His foster mother sighed but did not object to his decision, as long as responsibility still sits on his shoulders, she will let him do as he wishes. However, she prayed to the gods that he will soon or eventually come back with fewer injuries.

Finally, the day of reckoning came for him. Keen carefully armed his bow, drew the arrow and, with deep breaths, released the ammunition into the belly of a spore. The next moment Keen went crashing through the trees and learned how to climb trees faster than how to run through the woods without crashing into any.

Sitting cross-legged on a tree-stump on a hill overlooking the Payon forests, a thief smirked in amusement as he watched the blind archer take shelter in the trees away from a spore.

How laughable, a blind archer! When he first heard about it from the locals, he himself could scarcely believe it, but there he was, red-head, archer's uniform, and trained with the silence of an assassin. It figures, since the archer doesn't have the gift of vision, he could only navigate by sound, so minimizing his own sound would give him as much to navigate by as possible. The thief would do well to be careful of this one, he has potential, so why not…


End file.
